Wendy Barrie
Encyclopedia
Wendy Barrie was a British actress who worked in British and American films.
to British parents. Her father was a successful lawyer
, and she was educated in elite schools in England and Switzerland
.
While still in her teens, she began pursuing a career as an actress, helped by her red-gold hair and blue eyes. Adopting the stage name
Wendy Barrie (perhaps in honour of Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie, who was said to have invented the name "Wendy"), she began her acting life in English theatre
then in 1932 made her screen debut in the film Threads, which was based upon a play.
under the Korda brothers, Alexander
and Zoltan
, the best-known of which is 1933's The Private Life of Henry VIII
which starred Charles Laughton
, Robert Donat
, Merle Oberon
, and Elsa Lanchester
. Barrie portrayed Jane Seymour
.
In 1934, she appeared in Freedom of the Seas and was contracted by Fox Film Corporation for a film directed by Scott Darling that was made in Britain. The following year, she moved to the United States
and made her first Hollywood film for Fox opposite Spencer Tracy
in the romantic comedy
It's a Small World, followed by Under Your Spell
with Lawrence Tibbett
. Loaned to MGM, Barrie starred opposite James Stewart
in the 1936 film Speed
. In 1939 she starred with Richard Greene
and Basil Rathbone
in the 20th Century Fox
version of The Hound of the Baskervilles
and with Lucille Ball
in RKO's Five Came Back
. During the early 1940s, Barrie made several of The Saint
and The Falcon
mystery films with George Sanders
. She made her final motion picture in 1943.
With the dawn of television, near the end of the decade, Barrie turned to roles in that medium. During 1948 and 1949 she hosted a DuMont Television Network
comedy for children featuring a cowboy puppet called The Adventures of Oky Doky. However, she is best remembered by national audiences as host of one of the first-ever television talk shows. The Wendy Barrie Show
debuted in November 1948 on ABC
, then ran on DuMont Television and NBC
, ending its run in September 1950. She continued to appear on network television on panel shows and as a guest star in the early 1950s, and also as a spokesperson for commercial products, including a stint as the original Revlon
saleswoman on The $64,000 Question during its first months on air. Her pitching of Living Lipstick saw that product being sold out across the country. Barrie continued on local TV in New York
and hosted a widely syndicated radio interview show into the mid-1960s.
After appearances in more than 15 films in Britain and more than 30 in Hollywood, Wendy Barrie's contribution to the industry was recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at the corner of Hollywood and Vine
.
in 1978, aged 65, following a stroke
that had left her debilitated for several years. She was buried in the Kensico Cemetery
in Valhalla, New York
.
Early life
Marguerite Wendy Jenkins was born in Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
to British parents. Her father was a successful lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, and she was educated in elite schools in England and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
While still in her teens, she began pursuing a career as an actress, helped by her red-gold hair and blue eyes. Adopting the stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Wendy Barrie (perhaps in honour of Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie, who was said to have invented the name "Wendy"), she began her acting life in English theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
then in 1932 made her screen debut in the film Threads, which was based upon a play.
Career
Barrie went on to make a number of motion pictures for London FilmsLondon Films
London Films is a British film production company founded in 1932 by Alexander Korda originally based at London Film Studios in Denham, Buckinghamshire, England. The company's productions included The Private Life of Henry VIII , Things to Come , Rembrandt , The Four Feathers , The Thief of Bagdad ...
under the Korda brothers, Alexander
Alexander Korda
Sir Alexander Korda was a Hungarian-born British producer and film director. He was a leading figure in the British film industry, the founder of London Films and the owner of British Lion Films, a film distributing company.-Life and career:The elder brother of filmmakers Zoltán Korda and Vincent...
and Zoltan
Zoltán Korda
Zoltan Korda was a Hungarian-born motion picture screenwriter, director and producer.Born Zoltán Kellner, Kellner Zoltán in Hungarian name order, of Jewish heritage in Pusztatúrpásztó, Túrkeve in Hungary , he was the middle brother of filmmakers Alexander and Vincent Korda.Zoltan Korda went to...
, the best-known of which is 1933's The Private Life of Henry VIII
The Private Life of Henry VIII
The Private Life of Henry VIII is a 1933 film about Henry VIII, King of England. It was written by Lajos Biró and Arthur Wimperis, and directed by Sir Alexander Korda.Charles Laughton won the 1933 Academy Award as Best Actor for his performance as Henry...
which starred Charles Laughton
Charles Laughton
Charles Laughton was an English-American stage and film actor, screenwriter, producer and director.-Early life and career:...
, Robert Donat
Robert Donat
Robert Donat was an English film and stage actor. He is best-known for his roles in Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps and Goodbye, Mr...
, Merle Oberon
Merle Oberon
Merle Oberon was an Indian-born British actress best known for her screen performances in The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Cowboy and the Lady . She began her film career in British films as Anne Boleyn in The Private Life of Henry VIII . She travelled to the United States to make films for Samuel...
, and Elsa Lanchester
Elsa Lanchester
Elsa Sullivan Lanchester was an English-American character actress with a long career in theatre, film and television....
. Barrie portrayed Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII. She succeeded Anne Boleyn as queen consort following the latter's execution for trumped up charges of high treason, incest and adultery in May 1536. She died of postnatal complications less than two weeks after the birth of...
.
In 1934, she appeared in Freedom of the Seas and was contracted by Fox Film Corporation for a film directed by Scott Darling that was made in Britain. The following year, she moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and made her first Hollywood film for Fox opposite Spencer Tracy
Spencer Tracy
Spencer Bonaventure Tracy was an American theatrical and film actor, who appeared in 75 films from 1930 to 1967. Tracy was one of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, ranking among the top ten box office draws for almost every year from 1938 to 1951...
in the romantic comedy
Romantic Comedy
Romantic Comedy can refer to* Romantic Comedy , a 1979 play written by Bernard Slade* Romantic Comedy , a 1983 film adapted from the play and starring Dudley Moore and Mary Steenburgen...
It's a Small World, followed by Under Your Spell
Under Your Spell (film)
Under Your Spell is a 1936 American romantic comedy film with music directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by Frances Hyland and Saul Elkins is based on a story by Sy Bartlett and Bernice Mason.-Plot:...
with Lawrence Tibbett
Lawrence Tibbett
Lawrence Mervil Tibbett was a great American opera singer and recording artist who also performed as a film actor and radio personality. A baritone, he sang with the New York Metropolitan Opera company more than 600 times from 1923 to 1950...
. Loaned to MGM, Barrie starred opposite James Stewart
James Stewart (actor)
James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
in the 1936 film Speed
Speed (1936 film)
Speed is a 1936 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer action film starring James Stewart in his first starring role, and Wendy Barrie. Although only a low-budget "B" movie, the film was notable for its realistic cinematography by Lester White, incorporating scenes from the Indianapolis 500 race and on-location...
. In 1939 she starred with Richard Greene
Richard Greene
Richard Marius Joseph Greene was a noted English film and television actor. A matinee idol who appeared in more than 40 films, he was perhaps best known for the lead role in the long-running British TV series The Adventures of Robin Hood, which ran for 143 episodes from 1955 to 1960.It has been...
and Basil Rathbone
Basil Rathbone
Sir Basil Rathbone, KBE, MC, Kt was an English actor. He rose to prominence in England as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in over 70 films, primarily costume dramas, swashbucklers, and, occasionally, horror films...
in the 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
version of The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939 film)
The Hound of the Baskervilles 1939 mystery film based on the novel The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and is directed by Sidney Lanfield and produced by 20th Century Fox....
and with Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
in RKO's Five Came Back
Five Came Back
Five Came Back is a 1939 melodrama and a precursor of the disaster film genre. The film was directed by John Farrow, photographed by renowned film noir cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca, and written by Jerry Cady, Dalton Trumbo and Nathanael West....
. During the early 1940s, Barrie made several of The Saint
Simon Templar
Simon Templar is a British fictional character known as The Saint featured in a long-running series of books by Leslie Charteris published between 1928 and 1963. After that date, other authors collaborated with Charteris on books until 1983; two additional works produced without Charteris’s...
and The Falcon
The Falcon (literary character)
The character of Gay Stanhope Falcon, also known simply as The Falcon, was created in 1940 by Michael Arlen in his short story, "Gay Falcon", which was first published in 1940 in Town & Country magazine...
mystery films with George Sanders
George Sanders
George Sanders was a British actor.George Sanders may also refer to:*George Sanders , Victoria Cross recipient in World War I...
. She made her final motion picture in 1943.
With the dawn of television, near the end of the decade, Barrie turned to roles in that medium. During 1948 and 1949 she hosted a DuMont Television Network
DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network, also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont, Du Mont, or Dumont was one of the world's pioneer commercial television networks, rivalling NBC for the distinction of being first overall. It began operation in the United States in 1946. It was owned by DuMont...
comedy for children featuring a cowboy puppet called The Adventures of Oky Doky. However, she is best remembered by national audiences as host of one of the first-ever television talk shows. The Wendy Barrie Show
The Wendy Barrie Show
The Wendy Barrie Show was an American television series which aired from 1948 to 1950.-Broadcast history:The Wendy Barrie Show is notable as one of the first examples of a televised talk show, and aired on ABC, DuMont, and NBC. It was fairly common, in those days, for shows to switch networks...
debuted in November 1948 on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, then ran on DuMont Television and NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, ending its run in September 1950. She continued to appear on network television on panel shows and as a guest star in the early 1950s, and also as a spokesperson for commercial products, including a stint as the original Revlon
Revlon
Revlon is an American cosmetics, skin care, fragrance, and personal care company founded in 1932.-History:Revlon was founded in the midst of the Great Depression, 1932, by Charles Revson and his brother Joseph, along with a chemist, Charles Lachman, who contributed the "L" in the Revlon name...
saleswoman on The $64,000 Question during its first months on air. Her pitching of Living Lipstick saw that product being sold out across the country. Barrie continued on local TV in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and hosted a widely syndicated radio interview show into the mid-1960s.
After appearances in more than 15 films in Britain and more than 30 in Hollywood, Wendy Barrie's contribution to the industry was recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at the corner of Hollywood and Vine
Hollywood and Vine
Hollywood and Vine, the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, became famous in the 1920s for its concentration of radio and movie-related businesses. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is centered on the intersection.Today, not many production...
.
Death
Barrie died in Englewood, New JerseyEnglewood, New Jersey
Englewood is a city located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 27,147.Englewood was incorporated as a city by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from portions of Ridgefield Township and the remaining portions of...
in 1978, aged 65, following a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
that had left her debilitated for several years. She was buried in the Kensico Cemetery
Kensico Cemetery
Kensico Cemetery, located in Valhalla, Westchester County, New York, was founded in 1889, when many New York City cemeteries were becoming full, and rural cemeteries were being created near the railroads which served the city...
in Valhalla, New York
Valhalla, New York
Valhalla is an unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place that is located within the town of Mount Pleasant, New York, in Westchester County. Its population was 3,162 at the 2010 U.S. Census...
.
Partial filmography
- Wedding RehearsalWedding RehearsalWedding Rehearsal is a 1932 British romantic comedy film starring Roland Young as a bachelor forced to seek a wife.-Plot:"Reggie" , the carefree Marquis of Buckminster, is happy to serve as best man at his friends' weddings, but loathes the idea of getting married himself...
(1932) - The Private Life of Henry VIIIThe Private Life of Henry VIIIThe Private Life of Henry VIII is a 1933 film about Henry VIII, King of England. It was written by Lajos Biró and Arthur Wimperis, and directed by Sir Alexander Korda.Charles Laughton won the 1933 Academy Award as Best Actor for his performance as Henry...
(1933) - The House of TrentThe House of TrentThe House of Trent is a 1933 British drama film directed by Norman Walker and starring Anne Grey, Wendy Barrie, Moore Marriott and Peter Gawthorne. A doctor faces both a scandal and a moral dilemma when a patient of his dies while he is making love to a press magnate's daughter. It was also...
(1933) - It's a BoyIt's a Boy (film)It's a Boy is a 1933 British comedy film directed by Tim Whelan and starring Leslie Henson, Albert Burdon and Edward Everett Horton. It is a farce about a blackmailer who attempts to demand money from a young woman on the brink of marriage...
(1933) - Give Her a RingGive Her a RingGive Her a Ring is a 1934 British musical film directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Clifford Mollison, Wendy Barrie and Zelma O'Neal. A worker in a telephone exchange falls in love with her employer. It was a remake of the 1932 German film Fräulein - Falsch verbunden. Stewart Granger made an...
(1934) - Freedom of the Seas (1934)
- There Goes SusieThere Goes SusieThere Goes Susie is a 1934 British comedy film directed by Victor Hanbury and John Stafford. It was adapted from the novel There Goes Susie by Hans Jacoby and Charlie Roellinghoff. An artist is hired by a major soap company for an advertisement...
(1934) - It's a Small World (1935)
- The Big Broadcast of 1936The Big Broadcast of 1936The Big Broadcast of 1936 is a Paramount Pictures production, directed by Norman Taurog, and is the second in the series of Big Broadcast movies...
(1935) - A Feather in Her HatA Feather in Her HatA Feather in Her Hat is a 1935 melodrama film starring Pauline Lord as a working-class woman with ambitions for her son. It is based on the novel of the same name by I. A. R. Wylie.-Plot:...
(1935) - SpeedSpeed (1936 film)Speed is a 1936 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer action film starring James Stewart in his first starring role, and Wendy Barrie. Although only a low-budget "B" movie, the film was notable for its realistic cinematography by Lester White, incorporating scenes from the Indianapolis 500 race and on-location...
(1936) - Under Your SpellUnder Your Spell (film)Under Your Spell is a 1936 American romantic comedy film with music directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by Frances Hyland and Saul Elkins is based on a story by Sy Bartlett and Bernice Mason.-Plot:...
(1936) - Wings Over HonoluluWings Over HonoluluWings Over Honolulu is a 1937 film directed by H. C. Potter....
(1937) - Dead EndDead EndDead End is a 1937 crime drama film. It is an adaptation of the Sidney Kingsley 1935 Broadway play of the same name. It stars Humphrey Bogart, Joel McCrea, and Sylvia Sidney...
(1937) - Newsboys' HomeNewsboys' HomeNewsboys' Home is a 1938 Universal Studios film that starred Jackie Cooper and The Little Tough Guys.-Cast:The Little Tough Guys:*Harris Berger as Sailor*Hal E...
(1938) - The Saint Strikes BackThe Saint Strikes BackThe Saint Strikes Back, released in 1939, is the second film featuring the crimefighting crusader Simon Templar, alias "The Saint". George Sanders replaced Louis Hayward, who had played the Saint in The Saint in New York. The movie was produced by RKO and also featured Wendy Barrie as female gang...
(1939) - The Hound of the BaskervillesThe Hound of the Baskervilles (1939 film)The Hound of the Baskervilles 1939 mystery film based on the novel The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and is directed by Sidney Lanfield and produced by 20th Century Fox....
(1939) - Five Came BackFive Came BackFive Came Back is a 1939 melodrama and a precursor of the disaster film genre. The film was directed by John Farrow, photographed by renowned film noir cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca, and written by Jerry Cady, Dalton Trumbo and Nathanael West....
(1939) - The Saint Takes OverThe Saint Takes OverThe Saint Takes Over, released in 1940 by RKO Pictures, was the fifth motion picture featuring the adventures of Simon Templar, a.k.a. "The Saint" the Robin Hood-inspired crimefighter created by Leslie Charteris...
(1940) - Men Against the SkyMen Against the SkyMen Against the Sky is a 1940 drama starring Richard Dix and written by Nathanael West and based on a story by John Twist. Directed by Leslie Goodwins, this film deals with the dangers of flying and aircraft development in the period before World War II....
(1940) - The Saint in Palm SpringsThe Saint in Palm SpringsThe Saint in Palm Springs is the name of a crime thriller motion picture released by RKO Pictures in early 1941. The film continued the screen adventures of the Robin Hood-inspired anti-hero, Simon Templar, alias The Saint, created by Leslie Charteris. The film itself was based upon a story by...
(1941) - The Gay FalconThe Gay FalconThe Gay Falcon is the first in a series of films about a suave detective nicknamed The Falcon. The 1941 B film was intended by RKO Radio Pictures to introduce a replacement for The Saint, after RKO decided that renewing the film rights to the latter character would be too expensive...
(1941) - Forever and a Day (1943)
- Submarine AlertSubmarine Alert- Cast :*Richard Arlen as Lewis J. 'Lee' Deerhold*Wendy Barrie as Ann Patterson*Nils Asther as Dr. Arthur Huneker*Roger Pryor as G.B. Fleming*Abner Biberman as Commander Toyo*Marc Lawrence as Bela, fifth columnist*John Miljan as Mr. Bambridge / Capt...
(1943) - It Should Happen to YouIt Should Happen to YouIt Should Happen to You is a romantic comedy film starring Judy Holliday, notable as the first screen appearance of Jack Lemmon, who was then an aspiring young actor. The film was directed by George Cukor and filmed on location in New York City...
(1954)